


beanstalk boy

by nure



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Best Friends, Canon Compliant, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Pining, Slow Burn, Slow To Update, Yamaguchi Tadashi's Freckles, did i mention yamaguchi is obsessed, figured i should give y'all a fair warning, idk how much i can emphasize the extent to which yamaguchi obsesses over tsukki, maybe tsukki will get a chapter from his pov who knows, more tags to come...?, no beta reader we die like mad dog's eyebrows, ok but like why does cavetown's song lemon boy sum up all of tsukkiyama tho, plot may or may not be missing we shall see, to the anime at least sorry manga ppl i'm not that cool, yamaguchi simping over tsukki for a very long time, yamaguchi worshipping tsukki for a looooooong time
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-15
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:01:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,249
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28098093
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nure/pseuds/nure
Summary: The beanstalk boy’s gaze was analytical, calculating. He seemed to be sizing Yamaguchi up and yet at the same time exuded an aura of total indifference, as if the shorter boy was nothing to him. Had his throat muscles not been immobilized, Yamaguchi would’ve gulped.Are you an angel? A devil?The beanstalk boy raised one perfectly arched eyebrow at him.A god?“Well aren’t you going to get up?”*TsukkiYama: their (hopefully entire) story
Relationships: Tsukishima Kei & Yamaguchi Tadashi, Tsukishima Kei/Yamaguchi Tadashi
Comments: 109
Kudos: 44





	1. first sprout

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boy scoffed, but he smiled kindly at Yamauchi for a moment before tilting his head back and sneering at the group. “That’s so lame,” he said, and the entire world tipped off of its axis to reposition itself and rotate around this beanstalk boy.
> 
> But then the boy continued walking and the earth raced to catch up.
> 
> *
> 
> Boy meets boy, boy basically builds a shrine in his mind to boy, and both boys ignore the fact that there is snot running down the first boy's face the entire scene

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> short beginning chapter; hopefully the rest will be longer. this is just when they first meet in year 5 of elementary school, so have fun with baby tsukki and yamaguchi :)

He was tall. That was the first thing Yamaguchi noticed about the boy: his towering height, stretching above where Yamaguchi had fallen to the ground like a beanstalk that could brush up against the clouds. No, through the clouds. No, above the clouds: this boy’s eyes lived above the clouds, where pure sunlight could reflect against his glasses without being filtered by a hazy layer of fog. 

His eyes were golden. That was the second thing Yamaguchi noticed about the boy: they were golden and they were beautiful and they were boring right into the depths of Yamaguchi’s very essence and they knew everything and they saw everything and they were stalling over the tears that had been welling up in Yamaguchi’s eyes and he wanted to wipe them but he couldn’t move, he couldn’t tear his eyes away from this tall being, this great being, this great tall beanstalk being that— 

The boy scoffed, but he smiled kindly at Yamauchi for a moment before tilting his head back and sneering at the group. “That’s so lame,” he said, and the entire world tipped off of its axis to reposition itself and rotate around this beanstalk boy. 

But then the boy continued walking and the earth raced to catch up. 

Yamaguchi gaped as one of the boys who had pushed him down ran after the beanstalk boy. “What’d you mean?” he called. He’d been the one to drop his backpack onto Yamaguchi’s face, if he remembered correctly. Yamaguchi wasn’t exactly sure he could trust his memory anymore though, not when the beanstalk boy wearing the purple hoodie was walking away from him and nothing seemed to exist before or after his back’s moving figure. 

“Hey, wait a sec!” the backpack boy said, grabbing onto the straps on the beanstalk boy’s bag. The tall boy reared on him, annoyance flashing across his face as he towered above the smaller boy. 

“What?” he taunted, leaning over the backpack boy who seemed to shrink into his own shadow. The bully fumbled for a bit before taking a shaky two steps back. 

“Well,” he stuttered, “your glasses are stupid!” 

Yamaguchi stared, his eyes wide, waiting for tears to well up in the bottom of those golden irises hovering above him. He waited for the crying to begin, for the beanstalk boy to shrink back into the dirt, like he was supposed to, like Yamaguchi always did. 

But instead, the boy’s face broke into a grin. Yamaguchi’s eyes widened. Laughter. He was laughing. The beanstalk boy’s shoulders were shaking with laughter, and it felt like the entire earth shook with them. 

The backpack boy stumbled backwards. “Get out of here, four eyes!” he yelled, but that just made the beanstalk boy laugh harder. Yamaguchi could only stare in wonder. The other two bullies ran after the first, shooting strange - terrified? - looks back at the tall boy. 

Tears were still welling in Yamaguchi’s eyes, but he refused to let them fall, refused to let anything blur his view of the boy standing before him. The beanstalk boy turned back once more to survey him, his hands still resting in the pocket of his bright purple hoodie. Yamaguchi knew that he must look awful; he could feel the snot running out of his left nostril. He wanted to wipe it and every one of his imperfections away before this golden-eyed boy could see them, but he knew that it was already too late for that, and besides, Yamaguchi couldn’t even move his lips enough to ask one of the millions of questions burning a hole in his tongue.

_How did you do that? How are you possible?_

The beanstalk boy’s gaze was analytical, calculating. He seemed to be sizing Yamaguchi up and yet at the same time exuded an aura of total indifference, as if the shorter boy was nothing to him. Had his throat muscles not been immobilized, Yamaguchi would’ve gulped. 

_Are you an angel? A devil?_

The beanstalk boy raised one perfectly arched eyebrow at him.

_A god?_

“Well aren’t you going to get up?”

Yamaguchi wanted to nod. He really did. His muscles, on the other hand…

The boy shrugged and turned around. “Suit yourself.” He started to walk away. 

Yamaguchi gaped. _No._ His finger twitched. The beanstalk boy was leaving. _No._ He wiped the snot from his nose and pushed himself to his feet. _No._ He may not know the pale boy’s name, but he did know that he would follow him and his golden eyes, had to follow him and his golden eyes, for as long as he could. Maybe then he could catch a glimpse of the clouds the beanstalk boy lorded over.

“What’s your name?” the boy asked, not even bothering to look down at him as Yamaguchi ran to catch up with him. 

“Oh!” Yamaguchi stopped walking so that he could bow fully. The taller boy paused too, a slight smirk playing at the tips of his mouth. “Yamaguchi Tadashi. Nice to, um, meet you.”

The boy raised an eyebrow. “Why are you bowing?”

“Oh!” Yamaguchi straightened up and rubbed the back of his head, looking down bashfully. “Sorry.” 

When Yamaguchi looked up again, however, it was mild amusement that he found in the beanstalk boy’s eyes. “Tsukishima Kei,” he said. “Year 5, Class 3.”

Yamaguchi’s eyes widened. He was as old as the beanstalk boy. “Wow,” he breathed, staring up at the boy in awe. 

Tsukishima raised an eyebrow again. “What?” he said. 

“Oh- um, nothing!” Yamaguchi jumped back, blushing furiously. “Well, er, I should probably, um, well-“ He knew that his arms must’ve been flapping around him, as they always did whenever he got flustered, and his blush deepened. “Um, thank you, Tsukishima-san!” He started to bow, but then he remembered and straightened back up. His face felt so hot that he wouldn’t be surprised if he just melted into a molten puddle of lava. “Bye!” 

Tsukishima nodded at him. “Bye.” 

Turning away, Yamaguchi sprinted off, shaking his head and pinching himself to make sure he wasn’t dreaming. _Tsukishima Kei._ He had met a boy who stretched above the clouds, who laughed in his bullies’ faces, whose golden eyes had smiled kindly at him, who was passive and cool and the opposite of lame and Yamaguchi was running away from him, away from the beanstalk boy he desperately wanted to follow.

He stopped and turned around. “Wait!“ Yamaguchi started. 

But Tsukishima Kei was long gone, a single green leaf floating down from a nearby tree to rest on the ground where he had once stood.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow okay you actually got this far lol congrats and thx :) 
> 
> sooo i kinda haven't planned much (read: anything) out, but the idea is to trace their entire relationship from this point on. 
> 
> i know the writing style is a bit melodramatic, but what can i say - it's yamaguchi, after all.
> 
> anyhoo winter break just started so hopefully the next update will come soon; happy holidays everyone!


	2. a weed facing the sky

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Excuse me,” a voice behind him said. Yamaguchi’s head shot up in surprise. _Oh no._ Somebody had seen him peeking into the gym and they must think that he was a total creep and now they were going tell everybody and then nobody would ever want to talk to him and-
> 
> Wait. Yamaguchi’s eyes widened as the boy passed by him to enter the gym. It was him. The beanstalk boy. Tsukishima Kei. 
> 
> “Uh,” he started, “wait!”
> 
> *
> 
> Yamaguchi overthinking things for 1,656 words straight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi again! sorry in advance for all the run-on sentences lol 
> 
> i tried to make this chapter a bit longer, but an actual plot line may or may not be missing haha... i'll try to get another one out in a few days to make up for it

Every thump was amplified by the chamber’s high ceiling. Balls ricocheted off of the ground and their thuds ricocheted off of the walls and the line between sound and movement ricocheted off of itself until, to Yamaguchi, at least, it was but a blur of bouncing echoes and echoing bounces. 

This had been a bad idea. A very bad idea.

“You have to do a sport,” his mother had told him. “You’re new in town, and it’ll help you make some friends.” She had smiled kindly at him. “Don’t worry, you’ll have fun.” 

But there were balls and they were flying and Yamaguchi hadn’t even stepped into the gym and yet he already didn’t dare disrupt the comets’ holy arcs over the net. He had been wrong: volleyball was anything but the safe choice. That had become abundantly clear during the time he had spent standing at the edge of the gym doorway, peeking out to watch the other kids’ underhand serves soar through the air and then land gracefully on the ground in deep curtsies. 

Maybe he should turn back. He could go home, tell his mom that everybody else had been too good. 

She would understand. Perhaps. (If he really begged.) But at least it’d be better than messing up whatever it was that all the other kids clearly had. Yamaguchi nodded to himself. _Yeah,_ he thought, _it’d be better this way._

“Excuse me,” a voice behind him said. Yamaguchi’s head shot up in surprise. _Oh no._ Somebody had seen him peeking into the gym and they must think that he was a total creep and now they were going tell everybody and then nobody would ever want to talk to him and-

Wait. Yamaguchi’s eyes widened as the boy passed by him to enter the gym. It was him. The beanstalk boy. Tsukishima Kei. 

Yamaguchi couldn’t help but stare in wonder as the tall boy strolled right into the room Yamaguchi had been too scared to even put a foot in. _Wow._

But then the image of the leaf floating down onto the empty spot in the park where Tsukishima had once stood flashed through his mind, and Yamaguchi knew he couldn’t let this opportunity pass him by again. “Uh,” he started, “wait!”

Tsukishima stopped. “Hm?” he said, turning around with his mouth already tilted down into a scowl. 

Yamaguchi blanched. He hadn’t thought this far. _Of all the times for my mouth to actually obey me._ “Thank you for the other day!” he blurted out, squeezing his eyes shut and bowing deeply so that he didn’t have to see the look on the beanstalk boy’s face. 

When Yamaguchi raised his head, however, those golden eyes, those beautiful golden eyes that could pierce his very soul, those beautiful golden eyes that lived high above the clouds, those glorious orbs of pure gold were looking down on him with… confusion. “Do I know you?” the beanstalk boy asked, tilting his head.

Yamaguchi’s entire face collapsed. The clouds opened up and a lightning strike pierced his left lung. He didn’t remember him. _Of course he didn’t, why would he?_ Yamaguchi, after all, was nothing but a little weed compared to this beanstalk boy. He was the one who cried when people pushed him, the one who was too scared to enter the gym, the one who was forgotten by boys like him. Frankly, he was a bit surprised that Tsukishima could even see him at all from his place up in the heavens. 

Yamaguchi shot back up from his bow, his arms starting to flap wildly. “Y-yeah! Well, n-not really,” he explained, stuttering. “W-we met at the park?”

“Oh, okay.” Tsukishima’s frown was replaced with an impassive expression. Yamaguchi still couldn’t tell if he actually remembered him, but at least neutrality was better than confusion, right? “What are you doing here?”

“Uh, well…” Yamaguchi lowered his gaze and started to fiddle with his hands. “I wanted to play a sport, too. But baseball and soccer had a lot of big scary guys, so I thought I’d be okay here?” 

Tsukishima was silent. Yamaguchi didn’t dare move his gaze up to meet his eyes. He hadn’t meant for his voice to go higher at the end. He hadn’t really meant to say any of that to the beanstalk boy, for that matter, but his thoughts had a nasty habit of spilling out of his lips barely a millisecond after they reached his head. 

Tsukishima still hadn’t said anything. Yamaguchi’s heart was racing. He had made him uncomfortable, and now the whole situation was awkward, and he must think that Yamaguchi was weird, which was definitely worse than Tsukishima not remembering Yamaguchi at all, and this was so much worse than the lightning strike because Yamaguchi felt like he was being slowly submerged into a boiler full of lava and maybe he should just apologize or maybe he should just slowly drown in the magma. 

Either way, Yamaguchi would end up nothing but a puddle of freckles and sweat that the golden-eyed boy could splash in. On second thought, no, he didn’t seem like the splashing type. Maybe he’d just very politely step over Puddle Yamaguchi with those nice green sneakers of his, or maybe he wouldn’t even register the fact that Yamaguchi had melted into a puddle because why would he, after all? Tsukishima was a magnificent beanstalk while Yamaguchi was but a weed. Or wait: wasn’t he the puddle? Maybe he was both. Maybe he was a puddle weed or a weedy puddle or whatever it was a puddle/weed hybrid would be called and how long had it been, again, since somebody had spoken? 

He should say something, right? 

Definitely. 

Maybe. 

Probably not. 

What did Yamaguchi know anyways? He was a puddle weed who didn’t even deserved to be politely stepped over by Tsukishima’s-

“Cool shoes!” he blurted out. And there his mouth went again. _At least it didn’t say anything about the puddle weed._ “I always just use the ones they give you in gym class,” he added, as if that would explain his sudden outburst. 

When Yamaguchi dared look up, however, the beanstalk boy was regarding his shoes carefully, as if Yamaguchi’s random exclamation had been a remark worthy of consideration. Yamaguchi’s cheeks turned pink. _He just saved me,_ he thought, smiling up at the taller boy eagerly. _He’s so cool._

“They’re my big brother’s,” Tsukishima explained. _Big brother?_ Yamaguchi’s eyes widened. _There’s another one like him?_ “I’m just wearing them until I get some new ones next week.” 

“Your brother plays volleyball?”

At this, Tsukishima turned a bit to the side, and Yamaguchi could see his cheeks become a bit rosy. “He’s playing at a powerhouse called Karasuno High School.” The beanstalk boy scratched the back of his head bashfully and looked away, but he couldn’t hide the pride in his voice as he added: “And uh, he’s the ace.”

Yamaguchi’s jaw dropped. “At a school like that?” His family had just moved into their house in the Miyagi Prefecture a couple of weeks ago, but he had seen posters everywhere for Karasuno’s games. “Dude, that’s awesome!” he cried. 

Yamaguchi regretted it almost immediately. Why did he have to go and be over eager and ruin the moment and make Tsukishima uncomfortable again? _Nice going, puddle weed._

Tsukishima did look uncomfortable. At the same time though, he seemed happy that his brother was something to get so excited about. “I-it’s nothing,” he stammered, blushing furiously. “It’s not a big deal. He’s always been like that.” 

“No way!” Yamaguchi couldn’t tell if he was exclaiming over Tsukishima’s brother or the way the beanstalk boy managed to seem cool even when he was stuttering. All he knew was that he desperately wanted to keep talking with him. “So he played in middle school? Was he on the team? Wow, I can’t believe it!” 

Tsukishima was frowning and looking off to the side, but Yamaguchi could tell from his pink cheeks that he was preening under all the attention. “Yeah. He was the ace in middle school, too. I’m going to be on the team he was on one day.”

He already knew where he wanted to go to middle and high school? Yamaguchi could barely choose a sports club to join. “You’re so awesome,” the puddle weed breathed, staring up at the beanstalk boy in wonder. “I mean- your plans are! Awesome, I mean! So awesome!” 

Tsukishima smirked a bit. “Thanks.” 

“Hey, boys!” a man’s voice called from within the gym. Yamaguchi nearly jumped up in surprise. “You coming or what?”

“Coming, coach,” Tsukishima replied, turning away from the shorter boy to walk to the rest of the group in the gym.

Yamaguchi gulped. After watching the ballet the other kids’ volleyballs seemed to be performing, he was doubly sure that they didn’t need, or want, a puddle weed like him. 

He could still escape. The coach might not have seen him from behind Tsukishima’s tall figure, and besides, even if he had, he would forget all about him within a couple of minutes, just as Tsukishima had.

Yamaguchi took a step back. _Yeah,_ he thought, _it’d be better this way._

But then the beanstalk boy’s golden eyes turned to meet his. “Come on, Yamaguchi-san,” he casually said over his shoulder. “Practice is starting.”

And Yamaguchi was melting all over again. _So he does remember my name._ Watching Tsukishima’s back as the tall boy strode forward confidently, he had a strange premonition, as if this was an image of what his future would be like, and he knew what he was going to do, what he was always going to do. 

Taking a deep breath, Yamaguchi followed the beanstalk boy onto the court.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we stan any and all puddle weeds here. every day, all day, no questions asked.
> 
> by the way, if any of y'all have a better idea for the chapter title, that would be much appreciated - i stared at it for what felt like hours trying to come up with one before giving up and going with the sucky one lol 
> 
> anyhoo, thanks for reading :) i promise i'll try to actually move some semblance of a plot forward very soon


	3. murmuring leaves

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Are you really going to hide from me behind a trash can?” Tsukishima sighed.
> 
> “No,” Yamaguchi blurted out instinctively. He nearly groaned at his own stupidity.
> 
> “But you’re hiding from me behind a trash can right now.”
> 
> Yamaguchi paused for a moment, but he knew it was no use. “Yes,” he begrudgingly admitted. 
> 
> “So you are going to hide from me behind a trash can then?” 
> 
> “…Yes.”
> 
> *
> 
> Yams learns that he'd make an awful stalker and Tsukki becomes (a bit) less intimidating

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ayo, longer chapter this time! i tried to limit the blocks of prose in which yams just simps over tsukki and instead put in actual dialogue! (gasp) i know, i know, i was shocked too, but hooray, something vaguely reminiscent of a plot, here we come~

Yamaguchi didn’t remember much from that first practice. He could remember the scene at the gym’s entrance before, and he remembered what happened after, but his memory retained only bits and pieces of the middle, like snapshots of the clouds as they passed by. 

His hand against the ball on the first serve he ever attempted. The sound of it hitting the net, like a bird flapping against the bars of its cage. His teammates’ smiles as they warmed up to him. His own as he warmed up to them. The coach’s deep baritone as he showed them the spot on the underside of their arms where they should receive the ball. Yamaguchi didn’t remember much from that first practice, but out of all those fragments, there was one moment that he did always remember clearly. 

He would keep this memory immaculately clean in his mind for years afterwards, taking it out to polish every once in a while before setting it back on one of the highest shelves in his brain, where it belonged. 

They had just begun to go over blocking. The coach asked Tsukishima, being the tallest and most experienced player, from what Yamaguchi could gather, at least, to demonstrate. As the beanstalk boy calmly walked up to the net, Yamaguchi had held his breath. He remembered the speed with which the ball could fly, and it seemed impossible to him that any human being could get in the way of that sort of rocket.

The coach threw a ball up into the air. Yamaguchi watched, his eyes wide and his mouth open, as it spun on its axis. It looked to him like its own planet, rotating around itself as it flew into space. Every full 360 degree turn seemed like a rotation of the Earth, and Yamaguchi felt like he could see day and night flash across the face of the volleyball. 

Spin. Day. Spin. Night. 

He was so focused on the volleyball that Yamaguchi didn’t even notice the coach’s hand whipping up to collide against the planet like a comet. The ball’s orbit broke and it was forced forward, racing over the net as if there was nothing that could stop it because there wasn’t. It was a planet in the middle of space and the stars could do nothing but watch as it flew by and—

Yamaguchi’s eyes widened. A beanstalk had shot out of the ground and the tips of Tsukishima’s fingers were hovering above the net that had caught most of Yamaguchi’s serves. His jump broke through the cloud layer like it was nothing but cold air and now the beanstalk boy was breathing in space. 

_Glorious._ Yamaguchi might’ve said it aloud; he honestly couldn’t tell, and for the first time, he didn’t care. He was too wrapped up in the moment, the moment he truly knew that Tsukishima Kei was just that- glorious.

The ball crashed against the tall boy’s fingertips. Yamaguchi didn’t dare look away. It was planet versus plant, a match-up for the ages. 

In the end, it was the volleyball that gave way. It bounced off of Tsukishima’s hands and crashed down against the floor. The beanstalk boy landed down a moment after it, his arms floating back down to his sides.

The coach started to say something. Or maybe he didn’t - Yamaguchi wasn’t paying attention to him. His eyes were still locked on Tsukishima, who was standing by the net with his arms crossed over his chest and his eyes staring out impassively from behind his glasses. He almost seemed… bored.

Then the people around him started moving and picking up balls. The coach had probably told them to start cleaning up the gym. The back of Yamaguchi’s mind vaguely registered that this likely meant practice was over as he rushed up to the beanstalk boy.

“How’d you do that?” he asked, breathless. 

Tsukishima turned away to bend down and pick up a ball. “Do what?” he said.

“Do,” Yamaguchi gestured wildly, “that! That block - it was amazing! You, you were amazing! That whole thing was absolutely amazing!”

“Amazing?” Tsukishima scoffed. “It would’ve been a point for the other team. The ball went down on my side.” He started to walk away to put the volleyball back in the bag.

Yamaguchi followed him. “But you jumped so high! Your hands were over the net - it was like you were flying or something.” 

“That wasn’t the height nets are supposed to be at,” Tsukishima replied calmly, dumping the ball into the bag. “Coach lowered it.”

“Still! It was,” Yamaguchi searched for the right word, “amazing!” 

Tsukishima scoffed and started to walk towards the gym exit. “So you’ve said.” 

Yamaguchi’s face turned scarlet. “I’m sorry,” he started, running to catch up with the taller boy. “I was being weird and saying everything that came to mind without a filter and it was making you uncomfortable and now you’re probably sick of me and I’m doing it again, aren’t I?”

Tsukishima nodded.

Yamaguchi’s blush deepened. “Sorry. Um, I’m sorry. I should just- yeah, okay, uh, I’ll just shut up now.”

They had reached the outside of the gymnasium. Yamaguchi looked down and wrung his hands. _Don’t be weird don’t be weird don’t be weird._ “Um,” he started, “I guess I should…” His voice trailed off awkwardly, and he gestured to the side. 

Tsukishima seemed to understand though. He nodded, his face not showing a hint of emotion. “Bye,” he said. 

_Don’t be weird don’t be weird don’t be weird._ “Bye!” Yamaguchi called to his receding back. He lifted his hand to wave, but then he remembered that the beanstalk boy couldn’t see him. Lowering his hand awkwardly, Yamaguchi shook his head. 

“Stop being weird, Tadashi,” he mumbled to himself. “Just go home already.”

_Just go home already._

Yamaguchi’s eyes widened.

_Wait._

Tsukishima had seen him at the park after the first day of school, which meant that it was probably on the way to his house. He also had just started walking in the direction Yamaguchi was supposed to go to get home, which meant that in order to get to his house, Yamaguchi would have to follow the boy he had just said bye to at least until the park, which was a good ten minute walk away.

Maybe he could wait for Tsukishima to get far ahead of them and then start to walk home? Yamaguchi shook his head. No, then the coach would see him loitering outside the gym, which would be a humiliating conversation, and besides, his mom would be worried if he didn’t get home soon. He had to go now. 

Yamaguchi blanched. Tsukishima was going to catch him and it would look so suspicious and the beanstalk boy would think he was some weird stalker and-

 _Stop it, Tadashi._ He shook his head to clear his thoughts away. _Just don’t get caught._

Yeah. Yamaguchi took a deep breath. Just don’t get caught, that should be simple. 

He started to creep forward lightly, careful not to let his shoes make a sound against the sidewalk. Tsukishima was only fifty yards in front of him. Yamaguchi gulped. 

He tried to pretend that he was walking on water so that he wouldn’t put too much weight into each step. Yamaguchi imagined the ripples fanning out from underneath his shoes, how they would spread across the lake he imagined, how the water moved beneath him, but then he took another step forward and it was too loud, too too loud. He had put too much weight in it and now he was going to fall through the water and maybe he should just tip toe instead but no, then he would trip and Tsukishima was going to turn around any minute now, any second now, and no number of ripples could save him then.

 _Don’t turn around don’t turn around don’t turn around,_ he willed. _Don’t turn around don’t turn-_

Tsukishima stopped. Yamaguchi froze. _Oh no oh no oh no-_

The beanstalk boy bent down. Yamaguchi tried not to make his sigh of relief audible. He was just tying his shoes. There was nothing to be afraid of, nothing to worry about at-

“Why are you following me?” 

_Oh no._ Yamaguchi’s hands started to flap, as they always did when he was nervous. Tsukishima hadn’t turned around yet, but maybe he would think he was wrong if he didn’t see Yamaguchi and he had to hide and where could he go but it didn’t really matter because he just had to hide; he couldn’t let the beanstalk boy think that he was weird and creepy for following him. Yamaguchi whipped his head around and sprang behind the nearest trash can he could find. 

Finally, after what felt like forever, Yamaguchi heard Tsukishima as he stood up. He held his breath. “Are you really going to hide from me behind a trash can?” he sighed. _(How is it that even his sighs are so neutral?)_

“No,” Yamaguchi blurted out instinctively. He nearly groaned at his own stupidity.

Yamaguchi listened as Tsukishima’s weight shifted. He imagined him crossing arms and smirking and why wouldn’t the clouds just open up and strike him with lighting? “But you’re hiding from me behind a trash can right now.”

Yamaguchi paused for a moment, but he knew it was no use. “Yes,” he begrudgingly admitted. 

“So you are going to hide from me behind a trash can then?” 

A black hole. Forget the stupid lake and the stupid ripples, what Yamaguchi needed was the biggest, strongest black hole he could find to just suck him away. “…Yes.”

The sound of footsteps started towards him, and Yamaguchi would’ve sworn that he could feel their vibrations in the sidewalk as they grew louder. Then the beanstalk boy was standing over him, a smirk playing at his lips. “Hello, Yamaguchi-san,” he said. 

“Hi, Tsukishima-san,” Yamaguchi squeaked. 

The beanstalk boy’s golden eyes raked over the scene. Yamaguchi couldn’t help but think that they looked like the opposite of the black hole he had been wishing for. “Are you going to stand up?”

Yamaguchi nodded slowly, but he couldn’t move. 

Tsukishima’s smirk grew. “In this lifetime, perhaps?” 

Yamaguchi nodded again, blushing as he pushed himself to his feet. “Sorry,” he murmured. _Where are you, black hole?_

“For what?” Tsukishima asked, his eyes glinting with what Yamaguchi would’ve sworn was amusement. “For following me?”

Yamaguchi’s head swung up. “I wasn’t following you.” 

The taller boy raised one perfectly arched eyebrow. “Oh?”

“I was just- my house, it’s in the same direction, and it would be weird if you knew that I was walking behind you after I’d already said bye, so I was trying to stay quiet so that you wouldn’t know I was there, and so uh, yeah,” Yamaguchi finished awkwardly, his arms flapping around him as he explained. 

“I see.” The beanstalk boy nodded sagely. “So you just didn’t want me to know that you were following me.”

“Exactly.” Yamaguchi thought for a moment. “Wait, no, I wasn’t-“

Tsukishima burst out laughing. His eyes crinkled up into two raisins and he threw his head back. Yamaguchi had been laughed at many times before, but somehow, he didn’t feel like crying, not when the beanstalk boy was smiling. Maybe it was that when he looked up at the taller boy’s golden irises lit up like that, they really did seem like the polar opposite of a black hole, and Yamaguchi couldn’t seem to muster the motivation to envision one when he had two golden suns grinning down at him. 

Seeing him laugh, Yamaguchi couldn’t help but smile, too. It felt like the clouds above him were breaking and that for once, he could see the top of the beanstalk. It took all his power not to stare in awe. 

“Come on,” Tsukishima said, a smirk still playing at his lips as he started forward.

“O-okay!” Yamaguchi had to run a bit to catch up with the beanstalk boy’s long strides. 

_Should I say something? Nobody has said anything in a while. Does he like the silence though? Is this awkward or comfortable? Maybe I should say something. Or maybe I shouldn’t?_ Yamaguchi fidgeted awkwardly.

“So,” he started after a minute of quiet, “the coach seems nice? And the team, too, everybody seems really nice.” He paused, waiting for a response. He didn’t get one. “I’m glad I joined,” he added. 

This time, after a slight break, the taller boy acknowledged him. “Mhm.”

Yamaguchi stole a glance at Tsukishima’s profile, but his expression was unresponsive. _Don’t be weird don’t be weird don’t be weird._ “Um, the gym is really big, too! There are all these echoes and stuff and it just makes everything seem louder and-“

“Yamaguchi-san?” 

He took a deep breath. “Yes?”

“Shut up.” 

Yamaguchi looked down and blushed. “Right, yes. Of course.” He paused. “Sorry, Tsukishima-san.” 

The taller boy didn’t say anything in reply. When Yamaguchi had mustered up the courage to steal a glance up at him, his face was as neutral as ever. 

_Don’t be weird don’t be weird don’t be weird._ Yamaguchi shook his head and tried to turn his attention towards their surroundings. Practice had ended at four in the afternoon, so it wasn’t too dark out yet. The wind was blowing on some leaves collecting on the ground, causing them to skid along the sidewalk. The sound they made as they were pulled along seemed to murmur of that moment in the gym, when the beanstalk boy had sprung up out of the ground and hovered in space to block the volleyball, that moment in the gym when Tsukishima Kei had been glorious. _If only I could…_

“Yamaguchi-san.” Tsukishima’s voice nearly made Yamaguchi jump up in surprise. He couldn’t hear his thoughts, right? He hadn’t been thinking aloud, had he? 

Had he?

“Yeah?” Yamaguchi asked nervously. 

“I didn’t mean that you had to shut up, when I said that before. I just meant that you could, if you wanted to.” 

Yamaguchi looked up at him in surprise. The taller boy’s gaze was still set straight forward, but he could’ve sworn that the ghost of a blush tinted his cheekbones. “Okay?” the shorter boy replied hesitantly. 

Tsukishima sighed and glanced down at him. “It’s okay if you don’t speak with me. You don’t have to force yourself, you know; we can just walk. That’s what I meant.” 

Yamaguchi squinted hard at his face. That really was a blush on Tsukishima’s cheeks. He wasn’t…. no, he couldn’t be. Tsukishima Kei couldn’t get embarrassed. Could he?

The beanstalk boy was at least a full head taller than him, but in that moment, with the leaves whispering around them and the ghost of a blush growing on his cheeks, he almost seemed cute to the shorter boy. Yamaguchi beamed up at him. “Okay, Tsukishima-san!” he chirped. 

The beanstalk boy looked down at him suspiciously. “What?” 

Yamaguchi’s smile grew. The ghostly blush reddened. “Nothing!” 

“Whatever.” Tsukishima whipped his head forward and avoided his gaze. Yamaguchi tried not to giggle. 

As they turned a corner, the park came into view. “I turn right here,” Yamaguchi said. 

Tsukishima pointed the other way. “I’m left.”

“Oh, okay.” Yamaguchi took a deep breath. “Tsukishima-san?”

“Mhm?”

“You were really cool today,” he blurted out, “in the gym, with the block and everything.” 

Tsukishima smirked. “I thought I told you it would’ve been a point for the other team.”

“I know,” Yamaguchi closed his eyes and forced out the rest of the sentence as fast as he could, “but I still think that it’s really cool and really amazing and would you teach me?”

“Teach you what?”

“How to block. Could you teach me how to do it?”

Tsukishima was quiet. After a moment or two, Yamaguchi decided to risk opening his eyes, only to find that Tsukishima had turned left and was walking away. “Bye, Yamaguchi-san,” he said, his hands still resting in the pockets of his jacket.

“I-is that a yes?” Yamaguchi called hopefully to the beanstalk boy’s receding back. 

Tsukishima didn’t answer, but Yamaguchi could almost see his shoulders shaking, like he was laughing. Imagining the beanstalk boy’s crinkled up golden eyes, a smile creeped over his face, and he turned to walk back to his house. 

_Glorious,_ the leaves whispered as they skid across his path. 

_Glorious,_ Yamaguchi agreed, thinking about that ghost of a blush. _Glorious._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> good news: i have a (very very short) bonus scene from tsukki's pov that i'll put up tomorrow :) merry christmas!


	4. beansprout boy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bonus scene from Tsukki's POV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's the... day after christmas! which should theoretically be worse than dec 24 bc now there's another whole year before next christmas but which i refuse to let be worse because, like, come on- it's the day after christmas and my principles require that to mean something! (drops logic mic) 
> 
> anyhoo here's the scene - hope you enjoy :)

“I’m home,” Tsukishima called, sliding off his shoes as he entered the house. 

“Oh, hi, Kei!” his mother called, peeking her head out from the kitchen. “Akiteru isn’t home yet, but dinner’s almost done. Do you want a snack?”

“No.” Tsukishima started towards the staircase.

“How was volleyball practice?”

“Fine.” 

“And your coach? Is he well?”

“Fine.” Tsukishima started up the stairs. 

“How about the other kids? Are they all good?”

“Yeah.” 

Tsukishima couldn’t see his mother’s face, but he could almost hear her raising her eyebrow through her voice. “Did you actually talk with any of them?” 

He paused on the steps. “Yeah, actually. I did.”

“Really?” She sounded surprised. He couldn’t blame her. Not many people could stand to be around him. He’d learned that long ago. “What’s his name? Do I know his parents? Does he go to your school? Is he nice?”

“His name is Yamaguchi. We walked home together.” Tsukishima continued up the stairs.

“You walked home together?” He could hear his mother nearly drop her spatula in surprise. “You walked home together?” she repeated, slower this time. 

“Yeah.” He had reached the next landing. 

“Well, Kei, that’s really good.” He didn’t respond. “Hey, Kei, wait a second.” 

Tsukishima stopped at the top of the staircase and looked down. His mother was standing at its base, her spatula still in hand and an apron tied around her waist, but she was smiling. “I’m glad you made a friend.”

_Friend,_ he thought, tilting his head to consider it for a moment. _Huh._

“And I know you think I’m cheesy,” his mom started, “but-“

Tsukishima just rolled his eyes and walked to his room. “Bye, Ma.”

“Dinner is in half an hour, Kei!” she called up to him as he closed his bedroom door. “You better be down here by then!”

Tsukishima flopped onto his bed, spreading his arms out wide and inhaling deeply. _Friend._ Closing his eyes, the image of the short boy with freckles that looked like beans about to sprout into full-blown legumes floated into his mind. 

_That block - it was amazing! You, you were amazing! That whole thing was absolutely amazing!_ The beansprout boy had looked so excited, his hands gesturing wildly and his eyes sparkling. 

_Amazing._ Tsukishima toyed with the word inside his mind. _Amazing._ He rolled over onto his side and turned his gaze towards the window. _Huh._

The leaves on a tree branch scraped across the glass in the wind, and for a moment, they almost seemed to murmur to him. But then Tsukishima shook his head, blowing the thought away. That was illogical and impossible, he knew. It simply made no sense.

But still, as the leaves whispered against the window and the beansprout boy’s smile whispered against his mind, it seemed like even Yamaguchi’s strange request made a bit more sense. 

Tsukishima shook his head again. What was wrong with him? He obviously couldn’t teach the boy how to block. He hadn’t even been able to demonstrate one properly. Besides, the beansprout boy was so short that it would be useless, anyways. It was illogical and impossible, he knew. It simply made no sense.

But still. The corners of his mouth turned upwards. _Amazing._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i know, i know, it's really short but more from tsukki's perspective will come in the future; pinkie promise


	5. above the bush

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He was so exposed, that’s what he was, like a gazelle before a cheetah, and he needed a lion or something, anything, to protect him; some tall grass would do, the bush would do, if only it would just reach out and take him in— 
> 
> But it wouldn’t, and there wasn’t anything that could save him and the boy was opening up his mouth to say something and _oh no oh no oh no oh no_ and wait, there, by the vending machine, a lion, there he was-
> 
> “Tsukishima-san!” Yamaguchi yelled. 
> 
> The tall boy turned around, his eyebrows raised. “Hm?”
> 
> *
> 
> Yamaguchi low-key simps over Tsukki's teeth and is (pleasantly) surprised when he isn't cursed by the universe for a thousand years

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wtaf you all are the literal best - thankyouthankyouthankyou to everybody who’s commented, given kudos, bookmarked, read, and generally not hated this fic; i’ve started silent-screaming into the palm of my hand every time i get an email from ao3, which has earned me many a weird look, but i just can’t help it bc i love you all so muchh and thank youu

They were there. Yamaguchi’s breathing quickened. They were there, on the other side of the courtyard. Watching him.

He moved his gaze to the ground. Maybe if he didn’t make eye contact, they wouldn’t come over. Maybe if he shrunk down just a little farther, they wouldn’t notice him enough to get up. Maybe the bush behind the bench he was sitting on would envelope him, and maybe they wouldn’t be able to see him from outside its thorny branches.

He darted his eyes upwards, just to check. _Oh no._ One of them was standing up. His breathing grew faster. _Oh no oh no oh no._ They had been the ones from a week ago, on the first day of class, the ones who had seen him walking home and grabbed his bag and pushed him down and-

He was looking this way. The one who was standing, he was looking at Yamaguchi and he was smirking and _what if he comes over here, what will I do_ and the bush wasn’t enveloping him and he couldn’t shrink back any more and he knew he shouldn’t have come out to the courtyard. He knew that he should’ve just eaten his lunch in the classroom, like he had for the past week, where the bullies weren’t in his class and they couldn’t see him, smirk at him. He knew he should’ve just kept his eyes on his lunchbox and blocked out the sounds of other kids’ joking with each other, blocked out his own longing looks towards the different groups of friends. He should’ve just stayed there, where it was safe.

He was walking over. Yamaguchi’s heart stopped. Oh god, he was walking over and the bush wouldn’t protect him and he was smirking and Yamaguchi’s eyes darted around the courtyard, looking for an escape. He didn’t know anything about how to deal with bullies. There hadn’t been any he interacted with at his old school; everybody had known each other since forever, long enough for each friend group to just passively tolerate the others. He was so woefully unprepared.

He was so exposed, that’s what he was, like a gazelle before a cheetah, and he needed a lion or something, anything, to protect him; some tall grass would do, the bush would do, if only it would just reach out and take him in— 

But it wouldn’t, and there wasn’t anything that could save him and the boy was opening up his mouth to say something and _oh no oh no oh no oh no_ and wait, there, by the vending machine, a lion, there he was-

“Tsukishima-san!” Yamaguchi yelled. 

The tall boy turned around, his eyebrows raised. “Hm?”

Yamaguchi glanced at the bully. He had stopped, watching to see whether the two were together. Grabbing his lunchbox, Yamaguchi sprung off of the bench and ran towards the vending machine. “Hi, Tsukishima-san!” he squeaked, forcing out a bright tone. 

“Hey,” Tsukishima replied, his eyebrows almost imperceptively furrowed in suspicion. 

“Um,” Yamaguchi began, “how are you?” His eyes darted back, checking to make sure that the bully had walked back to his friends. He had. Yamaguchi let let out a breath he hadn’t known he’d been holding. 

“Fine.” Tsukishima followed his glance towards the bully. When he looked back, his eyebrows had unfurrowed, and Yamaguchi knew he understood.

“Wanna sit together?” Yamaguchi asked as brightly as he could manage. Under any other circumstance, he would have probably been embarrassed, but as it was, his adrenaline was overriding his self-consciousness.

Tsukishima shrugged and leaned down to take something out of the vending machine. “Sure.” 

As he stood back up with a drink, Yamaguchi had to bite down on his lip to keep from laughing. He couldn’t help it; adrenaline was still hammering through his veins, and there stood the Tsukishima Kei, beanstalk boy extraordinaire, taking a long sip out of an adorable little pink bottle. 

“What?” Tsukishima asked, his strawberry milk in hand. Yamaguchi started to giggle. “What?” he repeated. 

“It’s just…” Yamaguchi took a steadying breath. “You drink strawberry milk? Really?” 

“Oh shut up.” Tsukishima started to walk forward, blushing slightly. Yamaguchi couldn’t contain his laughter.

“Sorry, Tsukishima-san,” he said, giggling as he followed him, “but seriously? Strawberry milk? It’s so… cutesy.”

“And?” Tsukishima took another long sip. 

Yamaguchi laughed. “It just doesn’t fit your image.” 

“My image?” The taller boy raised an eyebrow. 

“Yeah, your image.” Yamaguchi looked for the right words. “You know, the whole cool, detached, I-look-like-a-vampire-in-a-paranormal-romance-but-I’m-indifferent-to-everything thing.” 

The tip of Tsukishima’s lip turned upwards. “I look like a vampire in a paranormal romance?”

Yamaguchi’s eyes widened. The adrenaline had officially worn off and he had just become very, very embarrassed in a very, very short period of time. His arms, ever on cue, immediately started to flap. “I mean, um, I just meant that, well, you know, er,” he took a deep breath, “yeah? Kinda?”

Tsukishima’s smirk made it clear that he wasn’t going to let him off the hook. “Kinda?”

“You’re, um, pale, you know,” Yamaguchi rushed to explain, his arms still gesturing widly, “and tall, and blonde, and your eyes are golden, and your teeth are sharp-“

“My teeth are sharp?” 

Yamaguchi blanched. _Shut up, puddle weed, shut up shut up shut up._ “Yes?’ he ventured, looking off to the side so that he didn’t have to meet Tsukishima’s eyes. “I mean, I assume that they are?”

“So you’ve spent time thinking and forming hypotheses about the sharpness of my teeth?”

Yamaguchi’s eyes shot up and he started shaking his head vigorously. “No!” he exclaimed. This was going even worse than the trash can incident. “I didn’t mean- it’s not like I think about your teeth a lot or anything!” Tsukishima’s smirk was growing. “Not that I wouldn’t want to think about your teeth,” Yamaguchi quickly added, “I’m sure your teeth are great- I mean, neutral, I’m perfectly neutral about the sharpness and beauty of your-”

Tsukishima’s laugh interrupted his rambling. “Shut up, Yamaguchi-san,” he said through his chuckles, smiling kindly at him. It was that same smile he had given him on that first day, when he saw Yamaguchi sprawled before the bullies, except it was even better, so much better, because his golden eyes were crinkled up and he was laughing and Yamaguchi knew that bells were tolling somewhere in the world at that exact moment because the beanstalk boy was smiling kindly at him and honest to goodness _laughing._

“Sorry, Tsukishima-san.” Yamaguchi grinned sheepishly, his tone full of gratitude. He remembered what the taller boy had told him last time - _I didn’t mean that you had to shut up, when I said that before. I just meant that you could, if you wanted to_ \- and he was glad for the reassurance that he didn’t have to keep on tying himself up with his wayward words. 

_Last time…_ Yamaguchi tilted his head to the side and considered it for a moment. He hadn’t actually talked to the beanstalk boy since a week ago, when they walked home together after practice. Their school didn’t actually have a volleyball team, so the team they had joined was a local one at the indoor recreational center, which meant that they only had practice once a week. He and Tsukishima weren’t in the same class, either, so he hadn’t seen him since then. 

_And as soon as you see him again, you tell him he looks like a vampire and obsess over his teeth._ Yamaguchi flushed slightly. _Nice going, puddle weed._

He had gotten so lost in thought that he had barely noticed where Tsukishima was leading them until they were standing at the entrance to the flat roof of the school. Yamaguchi’s eyes widened as a gust of cool wind whisked across his face. “You eat here?” he squeaked. 

Tsukishima had already started walking forward, but Yamaguchi remained firmly planted at the door. The taller boy nodded. “Yeah. It’s a nice spot.”

Yamaguchi didn’t move. He should’ve seen this coming. It made all of the sense in the world - of course the beanstalk boy liked to hang out in the one place at school that was closest to the sky. He was a plant, after all, stretching towards the sun to absorb as much of its light into his golden eyes as possible. He should’ve seen this coming. He just didn’t think that the beanstalk boy would actually invite him, puddle weed him, hiding-behind-a-trash-can him, to his abode above the clouds. 

When he noticed Yamaguchi wasn’t following him, Tsukishima paused and looked back. “Are you just going to stand there, or…?”

“A-are you sure I can come?” Yamaguchi glanced around nervously. “I don’t want to… intrude.” 

“I did say you could.”

“And you’re sure?”

Tsukishima rolled his eyes. “Yes, I’m sure. There’s nobody else here, you know.” Yamaguchi could see realization dawn in his eyes, and the taller boy quickly turned away. “If you don’t want to have to sit alone with me though, it’s fine. You can-”

“No no no,” Yamaguchi rushed to explain, “it’s not that at all; it’s-“ _Just shut up and suck it up, Tadashi._ He took a deep breath and stepped through the doorframe onto the roof. _There. I’m in._ He was almost surprised when no monstrous giants or anything of the like appeared to chase him back down the stairwell. He had almost expected to hear a booming voice curse him for a thousand years as punishment for disobeying the laws of the universe and stepping onto the beanstalk boy’s plane, but the sky remained silent.

Maybe he had been being a tad dramatic. (Or maybe a little more than a tad.) But still, he kept his ears tipped upwards to the sky, just in case a curse did come. 

“Thanks for letting me sit with you,” Yamaguchi said cautiously. Tsukishima just shrugged in response, but Yamaguchi thought he caught a glimpse of a slight smile at his words before the taller boy walked over to a bento box sitting by the edge of the roof. Beyond him, the shorter boy almost thought that he saw the bush he had prayed to swallow him in the courtyard below. 

Yamaguchi followed his lead as he sat down, leaning his back against the railing. The shorter boy threw another glance up at the sky, double-checking for a curse, as the back of his head touched against the cool metal. No voice could be heard though, and he figured that meant it was safe to let his smile widen. 

They ate in comfortable silence for a bit. Yamaguchi was honestly a little surprised; perhaps it was just the cold air, or perhaps it was something else entirely, but he didn’t feel so nervous anymore, nor did he feel the need to babble on about something pointless just to fill the gap in conversation. 

In fact, it didn’t feel like much of a gap at all; the quiet seemed more to him like a prolonged yawn: sleepy, organic, and not so much empty as filled by itself. The only way Yamaguchi could describe it was that their shared silence seemed satisfied with them, that Yamaguchi seemed satisfied with it, and that Tsukishima seemed satisfied with him. 

But there he went again, trying to fill it up with his own over-thinking. _Shut up, Yamaguchi-san,_ he reminded himself. And so the shorter boy closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and allowed the cold air to fill his lungs while his thoughts melted away into a yawning quiet. 

It may have been seconds, it may have been hours, or it may have been days before anybody said anything again. The silence’s yawn had swallowed time, but Yamaguchi couldn’t bing himself to begrudge its return when Tsukishima spoke. “You can come up here during our breaks and lunch,” he said, “or whenever, really.”

Yamaguchi opened his eyes to look over at him. Tsukishima seemed determined to keep his gaze trained on his lunch, but he had stopped eating. “I’ll be here,” he added. His voice remained steadily disinterested, but the ghost of a blush began to tint his cheeks. Yamaguchi started to smile.

“You know,” Tsukishima went on to explain, “if you want to avoid those guys from before.”

Yamaguchi’s smile faltered. He had almost forgotten about the bullies. “Thanks,” he said. “Won’t your friends mind though?”

Tsukishima scoffed. “What friends?” He looked up, his golden eyes piercing into Yamaguchi’s. His voice and face were still completely neutral, but the shorter boy couldn’t help but think it was almost like he had trained them to stay that way. His mind flitted back to the courtyard, how hard he had wished for the arms of the bush behind him to just sweep him up into a thorny mummy’s coffin, and he understood. “Nobody else is sitting up here.” 

“Oh.” Yamaguchi glanced down and fiddled with his hands. 

“Are you disappointed?”

Yamaguchi shook his head vigorously. “No, of course not. Just a bit confused.” 

“Confused?”

“I just assumed… I don’t know, that cuz you’re cool and all, you’d have tons of friends.” 

Yamaguchi winced. Had he really just said that? (If the lengthening pause in their conversation was anything to go by, yes, he really had.)

Maybe he should explain himself. When he looked up to gage Tsukishima’s reaction, however, the beanstalk boy’s golden eyes were filled with mirth. “You seem to make a lot of assumptions,” he said. 

Yamaguchi blushed and buried his face in his hands. “Shut up, Tsukishima-san!” he squawked.

The taller boy didn’t even try to conceal his laughter. “Sorry, Yamaguchi-san.” 

“It’s not funny!” But Yamaguchi had started to grin too. 

“It’s a little bit funny.”

“No, it’s not!” 

“Yes, it is.” 

And sitting there, on the beanstalk boy’s roof, laughing with Tsukishima Kei, Yamaguchi stopped listening for a curse to come down from the heavens. Instead, he just let the silent sky swallow time and time swallow the silent sky as the universe bended over itself so that their two planes of existence could converge.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> not in love with the writing in this chapter but it’s totally okay because AYOO IT’S OFFICIAL-OFFICIAL THAT THEY’RE FRIENDSSS 
> 
> more exciting news: i am reasonably confident that a full-length chapter from tsukki’s pov will be coming very soon. (maybe the next one….?) i’ll have to collect ever drop of coolness i possess in order to write from his perspective tho so if y’all could send me as much of your extra as possible, that’d be much appreciated~


	6. split pea eyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _A friend of Kei’s._ Tsukishima tilted his head, considering it. The words sounded nice. Perhaps a tinge optimistic, but nice all the same. 
> 
> He relaxed slightly in his seat. That was right. Yamaguchi was his friend. Maybe today wouldn’t go so badly, after all. 
> 
> Maybe, even if he met-
> 
> Tsukishima tightened his hands into fists. _A friend of Kei’s._ He took a deep breath. _A friend of Kei’s._
> 
> *
> 
> Yamaguchi pulls wooden dolls out of his car, Tsukki is struck speechless, and Akiteru is the god we all know him to be

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay so i know i'm really late and i honestly have no good excuse but i literally just finished writing this five seconds ago - and when i mean literally, i mean i just wrote the last sentence and immediately navigated to archive of our own lol. it's longer soo hopefully? that? kinda? makes? up? for? it? anyhoo it's here now~

Tsukishima was good at this. He was getting good at this. Better, at least. At this. At Yamaguchi. At “friend.” 

_Friend._ Tsukishima squinted slightly at the little beansprout boy skipping over to him, calculating. Yamaguchi didn’t really look like how a friend was supposed to, how his friend was supposed to. He was too short, and he smiled too much. 

Then again, Tsukishima didn’t have much experience with this. With “friend.” Maybe this was what a friend was supposed to look like, what his friend was supposed to look like. _Hmm._

“What’cha thinking about?” the beansprout boy asked, tilting his head back so he could beam up at Tsukishima’s face. He really was too short, and he really did smile too much.

“How sharp my teeth are.” The reply fell easily from the taller boy’s lips. (Snark always had, after all.)

Yamaguchi blushed and pouted. “Tsukishima-san!” he whined. 

“What?” A smirk was already making its way onto the taller boy’s face. If this, making the smaller boy blush and pout and whine was “friend,” Tsukishima decided that he was good at having a friend. And if this was it, if this is what he had to do, Tsukishima decided that he liked it. “It makes for fascinating subject matter.” 

“I don’t- I don’t really ever think about your teeth!” 

“‘Don’t really?’”

Yamaguchi’s flush turned into a deeper shade of red. Tsukishima’s smile grew. He had learned, over the past couple of weeks they had sat on the roof together, that a blushing Yamaguchi was a cute Yamaguchi. 

Objectively cute, and from an analytical standpoint, of course. (Tsukishima’s judgement was nothing if not objective and analytical, after all.) “I meant not at all!” Yamaguchi’s gaze moved down to his feet. “I don’t think about your teeth at all!” 

“Whatever you say, Yamaguchi-san,” Tsukishima teased, chuckling. Yamaguchi’s head whipped up at the sound, his eyes growing into two big split-peas that almost seemed to sparkle under the gymnasium’s lights.

And that. That look. If that was “friend,” Tsukishima decided that he liked it. 

“Hey, boys! The faster you pick up the balls, the faster you can get out of here!” their coach yelled from the other side of the gym.

Yamaguchi immediately ducked his head. “Sorry, Coach!” 

As they started to grab the volleyballs that had rolled over to the corner, Tsukishima remembered what he had to tell him. “Oh, Yamaguchi-san.” 

“Yeah?” 

“I can’t walk home with you today.”

Tsukishima could see Yamaguchi falter for a split-second as he leaned down and reached for a ball, but when he turned back to the taller boy, a smile had somehow wedged itself onto his face. “Oh, um, that’s okay!” he chirped. “I’m sure you have plenty of better things to do!” 

Yamaguchi was smiling too much, Tsukishima knew. This was not “friend.” He had made an error. Tsukishima didn’t like making errors. 

“My mom, she wanted to drive me home today,” Tsukishima explained, his eyes trained on Yamaguchi’s face as they dropped the balls back into the bag. “That’s why.” 

“Oh.” The shorter boy exhaled, and his smile grew more relaxed. _Better,_ Tsukishima thought. “Is it a special occasion or something?”

The taller boy shrugged. “Not really.” A gust of cool air blew over his face as they stepped outside the gym. 

“Okay then.” Yamaguchi glanced down at the ground for a moment before looking back up at Tsukishima with a grin that took up half his face. “Teach me to block next time then?” 

The taller boy rolled his eyes as he turned away. “Bye, Yamaguchi-san.” 

“Bye, Tsukishima-san!” 

The taller boy just shook his head as he walked towards where a blue car was hovering by the sidewalk.

“You’re grinning,” his mother remarked as he opened the passenger side door. Tsukishima shrugged. He hadn’t noticed. _Hm._ “Is that him?”

“Who?” 

“Your friend, the one you told me about.” 

“Yamaguchi-san?” 

“Yeah.” His mother was smiling. “Why don’t you invite him over?” 

Tsukishima shook his head as he stepped into the car. “No.”

His mother’s eyes narrowed. “Why not?” 

Tsukishima just shrugged. 

“Kei?” 

Tsukishima had a good reason. He knew he did; he always did. _”Friend” has to end here._ “Because.” 

Tsukishima’s mom searched her son’s face. “Is that your best explanation?” 

He just shrugged. 

“Okay then.” His mother leaned over him to call out the passenger side window. “Hey!” 

The beansprout boy jumped up in surprise, looking around to see if she was talking to somebody else. “Me?” he squeaked. 

“Mom, stop it,” Tsukishima muttered. Yamaguchi couldn’t come over. Tsukishima knew what would happen; his judgement was nothing if not objective and analytical, after all. Yamaguchi couldn’t come. “Let’s go.” 

His mother, however, just ignored him. “Yes you,” she called to Yamaguchi. “Come over here.” 

The shorter boy approached the car hesitantly, shooting a couple of worried glances at Tsukishima’s profile. 

“You’re Yamaguchi, right?” she asked, smiling at him pleasantly. 

Yamaguchi nodded slowly. “Y-yes.” 

“We wanted to know if you would like to come over for a bit.” The smaller boy’s shoulders remained tense. “You know, for Kei’s birthday dinner.”

At this, Yamaguchi’s eyes widened, and he glanced at Tsukishima. “Birthday?”

“Did Kei not tell you?” Tsukishima’s mom laughed. A slight blush started to creep over Tsukishima’s cheekbones. 

“No.” The look Yamaguchi was giving him was strange. Tsukishima glanced over at him to analyze it. His eyes were a little too dark, a little too dull, a little too comprehending. “He didn’t.” 

Tsukishima shrugged. “It’s not a big deal.” 

“Yeah…” Yamaguchi looked down at his feet. “Not a big deal…”

Tsukishima had made another error. The shorter boy’s persistent refusal to meet his gaze and the pointed look his mother was throwing over at him made that much obvious, at least. Tsukishima didn’t like making errors. 

He sighed. “Come on, Yamaguchi-san,” he mumbled, crossing his arms. “Get in the car.” 

Yamaguchi’s head whipped up. “Really?” His eyes were brighter now. 

“Do I need to repeat myself?”

“No, I mean- if you want to, that is, you don’t have to, um, you know, invite me, or anything.” Yamaguchi’s arms were starting to flap. He tended to do that when he got nervous, Tsukishima had noticed. Despite his best efforts, a small smile threatened to take control over the tips of the taller boy’s lips. It was cute. (Objectively cute, that is.) “I wouldn’t want to intrude or make you feel uncomfortable or, um, anything, so if you don’t want to, I won’t-“

“Yamaguchi-san.” Tsukishima sighed and let his lips curve upwards into a small smile. “Shut up.” 

The beansprout boy breathed out in relief and broke into a wide grin. “Sorry, Tsukishima-san,” he said, climbing into the backseat. His mother shot her son an approving smile that Tsukishima pretended not to notice. 

“So,” she began, making eye contact with Yamaguchi in the rear-view mirror, “what’s your first name?”

“Oh, um, Tadashi!” 

“Well then, Tadashi-kun, it’s nice to meet you.” Tsukishima’s mother smiled at the smaller boy warmly. 

“You too! And thank you for letting me intrude.” Yamaguchi tried to bow, but the seatbelt kept him from being able to. Tsukishima chuckled, and Yamaguchi shot him a sheepish grin. _Hm._

“Oh it’s no trouble at all,” his mother said. “It’s nice to meet a friend of Kei’s.” 

_A friend of Kei’s._ Tsukishima tilted his head, considering it. The words sounded nice. Perhaps a tinge optimistic, but nice all the same. 

He relaxed slightly in his seat. That was right. Yamaguchi was his friend. Maybe today wouldn’t go so badly, after all. 

Maybe, even if he met-

Tsukishima tightened his hands into fists. _A friend of Kei’s._ He took a deep breath. _A friend of Kei’s._

#

“Why don’t you boys just go and make yourselves comfortable while I finish heating up dinner?” Tsukishima’s mother slid off her shoes and dropped her car keys into a bowl by the door as they stepped into the house.

“Sure.” Tsukishima turned to look down at Yamaguchi, whose eyes were wide as he looked about the room. “Are you okay?” 

Yamaguchi startled and blushed. “Yeah! Sorry. I, uh, just didn’t think I’d actually, you know, be let in here.” 

The taller boy smirked. “What, did you think we were going to take you to some abandoned warehouse instead?” He started forward towards the dining room. 

“No!” The beansprout boy scrambled to follow him. “I didn’t mean that- I wouldn’t ever think that you were going to kidnap me or anything.”

“Kidnap you?” Tsukishima raised an eyebrow. “I just said warehouse. _Your_ brain supplied the kidnapping.” 

Yamaguchi’s eyes widened. _Cute._ Tsukishima tried to suppress a smile. “I didn’t- I mean, I did, but it’s not because I thought you were going to, um, kidnap me. Because I don’t! I trust you.” 

Tsukishima stopped walking. 

_I trust you._

He didn’t turn around, but he didn’t have to; he could picture Yamaguchi perfectly, blushing furiously, wagging his arms everywhere, his eyes wide. “Oh, um, shoot, sorry, I didn’t mean to say that- not that I don’t trust you, er, because I do- I mean, I don’t not, that’s what I mean, but I wouldn’t want to-“

“Shut up, Yamaguchi-san.” Tsukishima turned his head slightly to the side, enough so that he could evaluate the shorter boy’s face. 

Furious blush? Check. 

Wagging arms? Check.

Wide eyes? Check check. 

Tsukishima tilted his head. As always, his conclusion was infalliable. The beansprout boy really was objectively cute.

 _I trust you._

Tsukishima tried to force down the hint of a blush spreading along his cheekbones as he whipped his head forward to hide a smile. He knew he wasn’t entirely successful though, for Yamaguchi sounded a tad too happy as he chirped: “Sorry, Tsukishima-san!” 

Still, he didn’t entirely mind it. If this was “friend,” Tsukishima decided that he could live with Yamaguchi being a tad too happy. 

The shorter boy sat down across from him at the table as Tsukishima’s mother entered carrying a steaming plate. “Dinnertime,” she sing-songed, setting the dish down on the table. “Happy birthday, Kei.”

“Thanks, Ma.” Tsukishima had started to serve himself some of the food when he noticed Yamaguchi gaping at him. “What?” 

“I-is that,” the shorter boy stammered, “are th-those…” 

“Beans?” Tsukishima prompted. 

Yamaguchi nodded, his eyes wide. 

“Are you allergic, Tadashi?” Tsukishima’s mother asked, moving to stand. “If you don’t like them, I can always go and whip you up something else.” 

Yamaguchi shook his head vigorously. “Oh no, it’s not that; I, um, don’t want to be rude, it’s just-“ He stopped his sentence to gape at Tsukishima, who had just taken a bite of the food. 

“What?” the blonde boy asked, his mouth full of beans.

“Kei,” his mother warned.

Tsukishima chewed and swallowed. “What?” he repeated, his mind whirring. He hadn’t made an error, had he? “Friend” had been going smoothly, he thought. _I trust you._

But there Yamaguchi was, staring at him with his jaw dropped, seemingly unable to form a coherent thought. “You… You just…”

“What?” This really was a mistake. “What did I do?” Tsukishima should’ve quit while he was ahead. 

“You,” Yamaguchi’s mouth floundered for a moment before finding the words, “you ate beans?”

Oh. Tsukishima smirked. This wasn’t an error. This was Yamaguchi; this was “friend.” 

“Yes,” he answered, nodding. “I did.”

“You ate beans,” the brunette repeated, still seeming stunned. 

“Yes.” 

“ _You_ ate beans.”

“Yes.”

Yamaguchi still didn’t look convinced. “ _You,_ Tsukishima Kei, ate beans.”

Tsukishima raised an eyebrow. “I think we’ve established that.” 

“But you’re-“ The beansprout boy stopped abruptly and looked down at his plate, flushing. 

“But I’m what?” Tsukishima prompted. 

“Kei,” his mother interjected, shooting a kind smile at Yamaguchi, “don’t be rude.”

The blonde didn’t have the chance to reply because just then, the door opened and a pair of footsteps entered the room. 

Tsukishima froze.

 _No._

“You’re back,” his mother said warmly. 

_No._

“Couldn’t miss Kei’s birthday dinner,” the voice said. It grew louder as he leaned down over Tsukishima. 

_No._

“Happy birthday, little bro,” Tsukishima Akiteru said, ruffling his hair. 

_No._

Tsukishima kept his eyes trained on the plate in front of him, refusing to look up. 

He knew this would happen. He predicted it, he planned to prevent it, and then one moping look from Yamaguchi - a _single_ hurt glance - and he’d unravelled his well thought out plan and invited him home for dinner. He’d been weak, and irrational, and he’d made an error and now-

 _I trust you._

Tsukishima took a deep breath. That was right. He had spent almost a month working on “friend” - it couldn’t have been a waste. Maybe he had miscalculated. Maybe nothing would change. 

Clenching his fingers in his lap, Tsukishima risked a glance upwards. Immediately he knew it was a mistake. 

He never miscalculated. It had been dumb to think his prediction had been wrong - when was he ever wrong, his judgement was nothing if not objective and analytical, after all - because there was Yamaguchi, with the same sparkling, split-pea look in his eyes that he had whenever he made Tsukishima laugh.

Except now it wasn’t directed at him. It was directed past him. Above him. 

To Akiteru. 

“Who’s this?” his older brother asked, his tone friendly.

“Yamaguchi Tadashi,” his mother answered. “He goes to school with Kei.” 

“Really?” Akiteru sat down beside Tsukishima, shooting a smile at Yamaguchi. “It’s nice to meet you, Tadashi-kun. I’m Akiteru, Kei’s big brother.” 

Yamaguchi’s eyes were wide. Tsukishima’s stomach tightened. “Th-there’s two?” the beansprout boy stammered. Then he flushed and looked down. “I mean-“

Akiteru laughed, and the brunette’s head whipped back up. “I know what you mean. It’s crazy, right?” He glanced over at Tsukishima. “Who would’ve thought this loner actually had a sibling?”

Yamaguchi giggled and was looking at his older brother with something approaching awe. Tsukishima wanted to throw up. 

He had known this was going to happen. He had known for a while now - ever since Yamaguchi had asked about his brother a couple of weeks ago. At the time, Tsukishima had been more than happy to oblige. He was proud of Akiteru, after all. Ace of Karasuno’s volleyball team: what wasn’t there to be proud of? 

Besides, Yamaguchi hadn’t seemed to mind him bragging about his older brother. In fact, the the beansprout boy had looked at him with that split-pea look of his and listened to each word. Enraptured.

And that’s when Tsukishima had known. 

He was going to lose “friend.” 

Yamaguchi had been in awe of Akiteru, and that was only in conversation about him. If the two met, and Yamaguchi could see him firsthand, compare him firsthand, Tsukishima knew what would happen.

It was basic math, really. Why take a nickel when you can have a dime? 

“So Akiteru,” Tsukishima’s mother started, “how was practice?” 

Something flashed across his older brother’s face, but the expression was too quick for Tsukishima to analyze and a smile was back on Akiteru’s face in no time. “Tiring,” he answered easily, “but that’s to be expected.” 

Tsukishima tilted his head. It was no wonder Yamaguchi was going to ditch him for Akiteru. Honestly, Tsukishima would probably ditch himself for Akiteru. The easy smile, the warm eyes - it really wasn’t a surprise.

He should’ve seen this coming. He _did_ see this coming. He just shouldn’t have hoped he was wrong. He was never wrong. 

“How about you, Kei?” Akiteru asked, turning to his younger brother. “How has your birthday been so far?”

Tsukishima shrugged and looked down at his plate. “Like every other day.”

What was frustrating was the time he’d put into “friend.” All the calculating, all the watching, all the knowing - he just didn’t want to let that all go to waste. Yeah, that was it. He just didn’t like wasting work. 

“Every other day?” Akiteru chuckled. “A birthday is literally supposed to be your special day.” 

“I don’t see why,” Tsukishima replied, shifting food around on his plate and refusing to look up. “It’s not like September 27 is a special date or anything.” 

It was fine, really. He could give up on “friend.” It’d be easy. It wasn’t like he was that attached, anyway. 

“But Tsukishima-san, it’s your birthday!” Yamaguchi exclaimed, and even though Tsukishima had told himself he wouldn’t, he glanced up and gave himself a moment to be irrational.

Yamaguchi’s expression was fiercely earnest - almost ferociously so, in fact. Freckles had been flung across the beansprout boy’s face like seeds, and had Tsukishima been more lenient with his imagination, he might’ve wondered what it’d be like to watch them grow. 

But he wasn’t, and he didn’t. It was just a metaphor, after all - the beansprouts weren’t real, the nickel wasn’t real, the dime wasn’t real, but the look on Yamaguchi’s face when he mentioned Akiteru was real and _enraptured_ and he wouldn’t be able to compete. Tsukishima knew this; he had known this, for a while now. It was basic math, after all.

It was fine, really. He could give up on “friend.” It’d be easy. It wasn’t like he was that attached, anyway. 

But still. Tsukishima smiled sadly. _Cute._

Yamaguchi faltered for a moment. “Tsuki…shima-san?” he asked hesitantly, seeing the look on his face.

Tsukishima shelved his thoughts away and let his smile turn into a smirk. “Yama…guchi-san?” The reply fell easily from the taller boy’s lips. (Snark always had, after all.)

“Say, Tadashi-kun,” Akiteru remarked, “isn’t it a bit confusing to call Kei that? Technically, we’re all Tsukishima-san here.” 

“I hadn’t thought about that,” his mother said, tilting her head. “Why don’t you just call him Kei?”

“Me?” Yamaguchi squeaked. “Call… him…” The shorter boy glanced up towards the ceiling, a terrified look in his eyes. _Hm._

“Or what about a nickname?” Akiteru interjected, smiling kindly at the beansprout boy. He was clearly good at “friend,” Tsukishima noted. Better than him, at least, even after a few weeks of practice. Yamaguchi really was trading up. “Tsu, maybe? Or… Shima?” 

“Ooh, I like Shima,” his mother said. “Let’s see, Tsukishima… Kishim… Tsukki…”

Yamaguchi glanced up at Tsukishima. “Tsu…kki?” he tried hesitantly.

“Why doesn’t he just call Akiteru by his first name instead?” Tsukishima asked. It was the most obvious solution, after all. 

His older brother, however, just threw him a look before smiling at Yamaguchi. “Of course Tadashi-kun can call me Akiteru.” 

The beansprout boy’s face turned a deep shade of red. There. Logical solution achieved. 

Tsukishima looked away. It was fine. Mission accomplished. 

“But Ma is Tsukishima-san too, right?” Akiteru continued. “So Kei can’t also be Tsukishima-san.” 

Tsukishima squinted at his older brother, calculating. Why he was so adamant about this?

He didn’t get his answer though because the doorbell interrupted their conversation. 

“Oh, Tadashi-kun, that must be your ride.” His mother stood up. “Are you done with your food yet?”

Yamaguchi nodded and followed her towards the door, Tsukishima and Akiteru trailing behind them.

“Why are you being so weird?” Tsukishima asked, his eyes narrowed. 

“I’m not being weird,” Akiteru replied. “He’s your friend, right?”

Tsukishima looked away and didn’t answer. _He’s your friend, right?_

It was fine, really. It wasn’t like he was that attached, anyway. 

“Thank you for having Tadashi over on such short notice,” a woman Tsukishima assumed to be Yamaguchi’s mother was saying. 

“Of course, it was our pleasure,” Tsukishima’s mother replied, smiling warmly. “He’s welcome anytime.”

“That’s very kind, thank you.” The woman nudged her son and Yamaguchi sprang into a bow. 

“Thank you for having me!” he said. Tsukishima bit his lip. 

“Oh, you don’t have to bow,” Tsukishima’s mother replied. “It’s nice to meet a friend of Kei’s.” 

Tsukishima glanced away. _A friend of Kei’s_. His stomach clenched.

“Oh, that’s right!” Yamaguchi stood back up and turned around. “Excuse me for a moment!” 

The beansprout boy sprinted out the front door. Akiteru threw a questioning glance over at Tsukishima, but he just shrugged. 

Yamaguchi returned a few moments later, panting as he burst back in and pushed a wooden object into Tsukishima’s hands. 

“Happy birthday,” the beansprout boy huffed. 

“Thanks?” The taller boy raised an eyebrow. “What is this, exactly?”

“Oh, well, you know, back at dinner you seemed, um, a bit sad when your brother was talking about, er, it being your birthday, and, well, I thought that if I gave you a gift, you might think today was a bit more, you know, special,” Yamaguchi explained, his arms flapping as he fixed his gaze on Tsukishima’s kneecap. “Not that I’d presume to know what you’re feeling, of course, um, I wouldn’t want to, er-“

Tsukishima just stared at him. A million different sarcastic replies were flying through his head. He almost expected one of them to fall out of his mouth, like they usually did. (Snark always had, after all.) But none did, and he just stared at the beansprout boy. 

“Well anyways, it’s a Russian nesting doll,” Yamaguchi rushed on, “you know, the ones where there’s a bunch of smaller ones inside of it? They fit together real nice, so I thought you might, I dunno, like it…” 

Tsukishima remained silent. 

“It’s, uh, been in our car for a while, you see, because my grandma gave it to my mom when we moved, but she was going to regift it, and so we’ve just kept in the car,” Yamaguchi continued, still boring a hole with his eyes into Tsukishima’s knee. “Not that I’m just trying to dump what we don’t want on to you, or anything, because I would have picked out a better gift, you know, had I known that it was, um, your birthday.” His eyes widened suddenly. “Not that I blame you for not telling me because it’s, er, completely within your rights, and why would you tell me anyways, right?” Yamaguchi laughed awkwardly and fell silent. 

Tsukishima still couldn’t do anything but stare.

“Do you, um, like it?” Yamaguchi finally looked up at him, and only with the beansprout boy’s eyes on him did Tsukishima realize he was blushing.

He looked to the side quickly. “Shut up, Yamaguchi-san.”

Out of the corner of his eye he could see the shorter boy break into a grin. “Sorry, Tsukishi-“ Yamaguchi took a deep breath and closed his eyes. “Sorry, Tsukki!” he blurted out before flushing and spinning around to nearly pull his mother out the front door. “Okay, bye now! Thank you for having me! See you tomorrow!”

“Bye, Tadashi-kun.” Tsukishima’s mother chuckled as she closed the door behind them. 

The blonde boy still hadn’t moved. 

_Sorry, Tsukki!_

_I trust you!_

_See you tomorrow!_

Tsukishima tilted his head, analyzing. _Hm._

Perhaps he really had miscalculated. Perhaps Yamaguchi wasn’t going to trade up. Perhaps “friend” wasn’t over yet. 

“That Tadashi-kun is cute, right?” Akiteru’s voice interrupted his thoughts. 

Tsukishima looked away. “He’s too short, and he smiles too much.”

“So he’s cute.”

Tsukishima shrugged. “Haven’t noticed.”

Akiteru scoffed. “Yeah right.” He reached out to ruffle his younger brother’s hair before heading past him to the kitchen. “I’m glad you got a friend, Kei.” 

The tips of Tsukishima’s lips twitched. _You got a friend, Kei._

Had he been more lenient with his imagination, Tsukishima might’ve wondered about nickels, or dimes, or seeds, or the beans that were stilled littered across his plate. 

But he wasn’t, and so he didn’t. Instead, Tsukishima just tucked the Russian nesting doll into the pocket of his hoodie and turned towards the kitchen. “Is it time for strawberry cake?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> apologies for the inconsistent updating - i've definitely learned my lesson about not writing out the fic before i start posting haha. it'll probably happen again in the future, but i'll definitely try to keep it to a minimum. 
> 
> here's some assorted thoughts and things:
> 
> 1 - tsukishima tadashi or yamaguchi kei? see, yamaguchi kei sounds better, but like, would tsukki really give up his last name, and also, tsukishima tadashi would make his initials TT, like the sobbing emoticon, and i refuse to give that up
> 
> 2 - thank you for the extra coolness! i was definitely using every last drop to attempt writing this chapter lol, and your support means a lot to me :) 
> 
> 3 - this super amazing person *ahem* @inoreuct *ahem* wrote this short fluffy epilogue to this fic in the comments of the last chapter that you can read [here](https://archiveofourown.org/comments/379414518) (if i didn't mess up that link formatting lol) it's AMAZING, i'm IN LOVE, it brings me to a happy place, and i can not recommend reading it enough, so if you want some tsukkiyama joy while they're still in the pre-relationship stage of this fic, i HIGHLY RECOMMEND CHECKING IT OUT!! (was it obvious enough that i think y'all should read it? cuz if not, GO AND READ IT IT'S LITERALLY SO AWESOME)
> 
> 4 - any requests for our young tsukki and yams? i'm definitely open to suggestions if there's any scenarios y'all want to read :)


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